The CrossFit methodology is simple: constantly varied, functional movement executed at a relatively high intensity.
Continuing from yesterday’s post today we’ll talk about the importance of movement selection. The exercise choices we make in our gym space is simple: what allows for best expression of flexibility, power, strength, speed, and coordination? We choose compound movements, or movements that require multiple joints and muscle groups to fire.
Rather than a traditional gym with a spread of machines that isolate muscle groups, CrossFit boxes prefer big open spaces so that we can allow us to move our bodies. We have tons of toys we can pull into the space like rowers, barbells & bumper plates, medicine balls, kettlebells, dumbbells, plyo boxes, etc. These tools generally have movements that we like:
- squats: back squats, front squats, overhead squats, goblet squats, cossack squats, single leg squats, etc
- pushes: pushups, burpees, dips, strict presses, push presses, jerks, handstand pushups, etc.
- pulls: bent-over rows, one-arm rows, strict/kipping pullups, ring rows, bar/ring muscle-ups, etc.
- jumps: single/double unders, box jumps, broad jumps, jumping lunges, etc.
- hinging: situps, crunches, hanging leg raises, knees-to-elbows, toes-to-bars, slam ball, etc.
- extension: back extension, hip extension, reverse hyper, deadlift, good morning, Romanian deadlift, kettlebell swings, etc.
Next time you have to come up with your own workout when traveling or stuck at home, keep these in mind!
CrossFit WOD for Tuesday 10/22
every minute on the minute for 15:00 do 2 snatches, then
every minute on the minute for 15:00 do 2 clean & jeks
READ: Resistance Training For Children and Adolescents – National Library of Medicine
WATCH: The Story Behind Whatever It Takes, The Global Training Retailer – Morning Chalk Up
The CrossFit methodology is simple: constantly varied, functional movement executed at a relatively high intensity.
Today we’ll talk about the importance of variance. The basic understanding is that you exercise to achieve certain goals: it could be losing bodyweight, gaining strength, increasing flexibility, preparing for specific sport or activity, and execute activities of daily life without issue. To achieve these goals we need to understand what stimuli illicits the proper and favorable response. Rather than putting that responsiblity on you, we simply test you a handful of ways every day.
Each workout is meant to illicit a certain response: do you have cardio? Long-lasting stamina? Are you coordinated and flexible enough to do an overhead squat? How about 15 in a row? Which sets of combinations do you excel at? Which ones do you fail at? Phyiscally/mentally/emotionally- it all matters because we get to find the holes in your ‘fitness armor’… and guess what makes you more capable at taking life’s beatings?
Could you help me move a 400lbs couch this Saturday up four flights of stairs?
We want you to be able to say YES to life and that means not being picky about the multitude of ways you train. Many of you who are active enough (4-6x/week in or out of the gym) are probably exposed to a variation of physical challenges to truly change your body when coupled with solid nutrition and lifestyle habits. If not, don’t fret- we just have to be more realistic about your goals and expectations.
Show up when you like the workout. Show up when you don’t. Put in the effort and you’ll achieve more than you think!
CrossFit WOD for Monday 10/21
as many reps as possible in 20:00
5 chest-to-bar pullups
10 hand-release pushups
15 medicine ball cleans, 20/14/8lbs
Post total reps completed to whiteboard!
FOUNDATION BARBELL – Week 4/4
This week we 1-rep maxes in Powerlifting! Test out your back squat, bench, and possibly deadlift this week in classes. Olympic Weightlifting will find themselves testing snatch and clean & jerk doubles, while finding a rep-max of pretty high-percentage squats.
*READ: What Is Fitness by Greg Glassman – CrossFit Journal
ALSO READ: Prilepin’s Chart – 70’s Big
WATCH: 20.2 Mat Fraser & Patrick Vellner in Miami – Buttery Bros
This one is exciting!
If the dumbbell weight is doable even for one rep and you can do at least singles on the toes-to-bar and double unders then you can do this as prescribed. This workout has rounds that are fairly short so doing the set unbroken is realistic if you can take it, but singles on literally everything still mean you can move throughout. Remember that 20:00 workouts mean cardio so go at a consistently smooth pace the entire time!
Read the official workout description and score card for more details. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS tonight!
We linked some great strategy, tips, and tricks below. Good luck!
CrossFit WOD for Friday 10/18
CGO 20.2
as many reps as possible in 20 minutes:
4 dumbbell thrusters, 2×50/35/20lbs
6 toes-to-bar
24 double unders/single unders
Post time to whiteboard and games.crossfit.com!
CrossFit WOD for Saturday 10/19
in teams of 2 for time:
150 partner wall ball, 20/14lbs to 10/9′
150 partner mb situps
150 thrusters, 20/15kg
1600m mb run together
CrossFit WOD for Sunday 10/20
“CHAD”
1000 box step-ups onto 20″ wearing/carrying 20kg for time
READ: CrossFit Open 20.2 Workout Description and Strategies – Morning Chalk Up
WATCH: Open 20.2 Strategy & Tips – CompTrain
Continuing yesterday’s muscle-up subject today we focus on the ring muscle-up.
There are two particular versions done on rings: the STRICT muscle-up and the KIPPING muscle-up. Both are fantastic and both are used regularly in CrossFit workouts.
The strict muscle-up is a high-skill movement. Unlike the bar muscle-up this requires independent control over both shoulders and arms and the strength is even more apparent since you can’t rest your torso on the bar. If the shoulders, specifically the rotator cuff, aren’t strong and flexible the muscle-up isn’t a real possibility for use in workouts until that baseline fitness is achieved. With focused practice of positioning, transitions, and coordination it increases your chances of being able to complete a rep.
Take Maia for example:
What you don’t see in the video above is the practice put in to check the box on this particular goal. Hours upon hours of reps upon reps resulted in this success, but there were plenty of missed reps. Plenty of frustrating sessions of practice. Plenty of times that “it was this close!” (Password for the video link is ‘foundation’)
Maia not only worked on strict and kipping pullups and dips- she started her gym sessions attacking her mobility issues (and still does every day). She asked questions and worked on the drills and skills necessary to prepare the body to do this kind of work. Once the strength and flexibility foundation was laid, we started using some of Carl Paoli’s drills for smoother transitions. After some time we allowed her to attempt full reps on her own, but also came in to assist as needed. Eventually the above rep happened on a Saturday morning during a CompEx session. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Come learn from the dude direct at FCF on Saturday 11/9 at 12pm. It’s open to everyone who wants to be able to do or teach the skill, now or waaay later in the future. Register here: https://freestyleconnection.com/course/muscle-up-master-class-seattle-wa/
CrossFit WOD for Thursday 10/17
3 rounds of
5 muscle-ups
15 single leg squats, one leg
20 toes-to-rings
30′ handstand walk
20 toes-to-rings
15 single leg squats, other leg
5 muscle-ups
Rest 1:1 or alternate rounds with a partner. Post fastest time to whiteboard.
HIIT Class at 12pm, 6:30pm
READ: 5 Tips to Get Your First Muscle-Up with Carl Paoli – Breaking Muscle
WATCH: Kipping Swing Length for Bar Muscle-Ups – Invictus
One of the most-wanted skills in a CrossFit gym is the muscle-up. In the realm of CrossFit a muscle-up is where you hang off of a bar or a pair of rings with completely extended arms before pulling yourself up and over to a support position with arms fully locked out.
On paper it’s simple: pullup + dip = muscle-up. For anyone who’s attempted the skill knows there’s a lot more to it. The body control required and the positions you need to be in take tons of practice. The timing of when to transition between positions also needs to be respected, otherwise you get “close” (but “close” is still a no-rep!)
In classes we do our best with the time allotted to gloss over the positions and the skills. If you are paying attention and varying your practice (strength vs skill vs timing) in classes you should be increasingly closer to the end goal. The last variable is desire: how bad do you want it? This dictates your practice and hopefully the quality of that practice.
It takes tremendous strength and power to accomplish this and we love celebrating the first rep.
Robyn has been working hard on developing a solid foundation of strict pullups and strict dips, both with their fullest range of motion. She’s also been working on being more powerful with her kip (for torso elevation) and her timing of shooting the knuckles, elbows, and chest over the bar.
Congrats Robyn!
CrossFit WOD for Wednesday 10/16
5 rounds for time:
200m kb/db farmer’s carry, 2×24/16/8kg or 2×50/35/20lbs
10m kb/db lunge, 2×24/16/8kg or 2×50/35/20lbs
10 kb/db burpees
Post time to whiteboard!
READ: Howard Cohen American Masters Weightlifting Championship 2019 – Hosted by Fortis Sports USA
REGISTER: Carl Paoli’s Last-Ever Muscle-Up Master Class presented by Foundation CrossFit – Freestyle Connection
WATCH: Travis Mayer does 20.1 for the 3.5th time! – Training Think Tank
From the beginning of CrossFit in every iteration of an affiliate gym there was always a place where daily results were logged. CrossFit.com had/still has the comment section. Some gyms had chalk boards, some used paper journals. Most use whiteboards. Nowadays many affiliates use computer kiosks with software systems*. We stay “old school” at FCF and do our best with the 8 or so whiteboards in our space.
As Ben Bergeron has said
In an era of high-tech everything, we’re often asked why we haven’t upgraded our old-fashioned system for something sleeker. The answer is simple—there is no technology or software that can match the community-building power of the whiteboard. It’s the first place we go when we arrive each day, and the last place we visit before leaving. We learn there, laugh there, and bond there. There’s never a line to get there, and nothing to click through or navigate.
… Together, they tell the ever-changing story of us—our successes, challenges, breakthroughs, hard-won lessons, and all the emotion in between.
This is why it’s important to get your results up on our whiteboards. Not only does it keep you accountable to do the same amount of hard work everyone else is putting in, but the results dictate the future programming. As a group, if we aren’t great at testing thrusters, guess what we start working on? If we hear tons of complaining when it comes to running performance what do you think we’ll start seeing more of? All the same, when people enjoy the frequency of some back squats, I’ll keep it going weekly until I feel like we need to move on.
The programming isn’t always out to only attack weakness- we still prescribe to the roots of the CrossFit methodology: constantly varied functional movements executed at a relatively-high intensity. This means you’ll come across movements you love, movements you loathe, and movements you’ve never tried before.
At FCF we to have a more intelligent approach, making sure we’re varying it up enough to keep you stimulated.
Keep your progress going- proudly put up your results at the gym!
CrossFit WOD for Tuesday 10/15
every minute on the minute for 10:00
– 3 hang clean + 3 jerks (novice/intermediate)
– 3 hang clean thruster (intermediate/advanced)
then
3 rounds for time:
90 double unders
40 dumbbell hang clean & jerks, 50/35/20lbs
Switch hands every 5 reps for the dbjc&j. Post time to whiteboard!
READ: My Top 5 Breathing Exercises for Stress Relief – Chris Kresser
REGISTER: Carl Paoli’s MUSCLE-UP MASTER CLASS at Foundation CrossFit – Freestyle Connection
WATCH: How the Two-Hour Marathon Limit Was Broken – WIRED
A couple of clarifications about the next FOUR Fridays:
– The evenings won’t be run like a traditional class, but as a member you should still come in to do your workout: we’ll have warmups and skill prep written on a whiteboard for you to follow!
– You don’t have to be registered to throw down during FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.
– You don’t have to have completed the Online Judges Course to judge anyone.
– If you are retesting you are responsible for providing your own judge.
– If you really care about improving your performance record your workouts so you can analyze it (like in the video below)
– The three raffles for Friday Night Lights are for everyone who is present. There are many ways to earn tickets.
Leaderboards as of Sunday evening
– FCF Ladies
– FCF Gents
CrossFit WOD for Monday 10/14
AMRAP in 10:00 of
200m run
max unbroken pullups
then take 10:00 to establish a front squat 1RM
Post results to whiteboard!
READ: “Goodnight Moon,” Almost 75 Years Later – LA Review of Books
WATCH: How to Video Reveiw to Improve Your Repeat – Training Think Tank
